Medical assistants are employees who perform any number of functions within a doctor's office or hospital. Not doctors or nurses, medical assistants nonetheless play a large and important role in the functioning of a medical facility. From database administration and scheduling to coordinating benefits and claim requests, medical assistants do a great deal of work for the health service industry and have faster than average job growth, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This means that the career outlook for a medical assistant is bright, especially with the proper training and accreditation. While the job offers a number of challenges, including a high-stress work environment and the possibility of long hours, it also offers a number of excellent benefits. One of the best of these are a number of health insurance discounts.

These discounts exist largely because of the nature of the work and the company that a medical assistant works for. If a medical assistant works for a large doctor's office, for example, that is a member of a very large and powerful HMO, those working in the office — from doctors and nurses down to medical assistants — will likely receive discounts from the plan itself as an incentive to join. This can mean a substantial savings for medical assistants on their monthly healthcare bill, and will often mean that they can go for treatment right where they work should the need arise.

In addition to health insurance discounts offered by an insurance company itself, a doctor's office or hospital may agreed to cover a portion of the health insurance program for their medical assistants. This is because businesses in the health market often realize that it is in their best interest to have a happy and healthy staff in order to continue to treat patients and keep the business running. By offering medical assistants large discounts on their health care, employers are able to keep more workers and work and fewer away on sick leave or permanent disability. This, in turn, makes the company more profitable and justifies the discounts offered.

While there is no question that being a medical assistant is a job that is not for everyone, there are a number of tangible benefits. In addition to a fairly generous vacation and sick leave schedule to minimize downtime due to illness, medical assistants often receive large discounts on their health insurance both from providers that are linked to their employer and from their employers themselves. Both recognize that keeping their staff healthy and off of the sick list means that they are better able to conduct their business. In a field that continues to grow, discounted health insurance is one more excellent recommendation for medical assisting.